A Markham teen swam across Lake Ontario overnight to raise money for the hospital that helped save her sister’s life.
Rebekah Boscariol, 17, left Niagara-on-the Lake, Ont., around 8:45 p.m. Friday and arrived at Marilyn Bell Park in Toronto Saturday afternoon.
“The worst part was probably when you’re coming towards Toronto, and Toronto looks so close and it takes another five hours from there,” Rebekah said.
Despite the strong current, she swam the 52-kilometre distance in about 15 and a half hours, less than the anticipated 20 hours.
Her goal was to raise $20,000 for the Hospital for Sick Children, where doctors repaired a hole in her four-year-old sister Sophia’s heart.
In the end, Rebekah raised more than $10,000.
“I hope they can see that you can really do anything and that one person can really make a big difference,” she said.
Torontonian Marilyn Bell first swam across Lake Ontario in 1954 when she was 16 years old.